laser therapy Flashcards
what does LASER stand for?
-Light
-Amplification by
-Stimulated
-Emission of
-Radiation
how are lasers classified?
-class 1- low powered/ safe
-class 2 - low powered/ safe
class 3a- low power emitting. less than 5mW
-class 3b- 5mW-500mW
-class 4- greater than 500mW
what happens to atoms in laser therapy?
-an atom is stimulated to emit a photon of light by an incident photon
-this emitted photon collides with other excited photons, causing more photon emission
-chain reaction producing LASER
what are the 3 physical components of a laser system?
-lasing medium
-energy source
-resonating cavity
what is a lasing medium?
-material that is capable of being pumped with energy to produce stimulated emission
-lasing medium can be gaseous, liquid or solid
what is the energy source?
-the energy source is usually electrical from a power supply or battery
-it needs to pump/ excite the lasing medium to higher energy levels to produce the laser radiation
what is the resonating cavity?
-this contains the lasing medium within a central chamber with 2 mirrors at each end
-allows reflection of the photons of light back and forward across the chamber
-results in production of an intense photon resonance
what is monochromacity?
-property or quality of having a single color or wavelength of light.
- a light source is said to be monochromatic if it emits light of only one wavelength, resulting in a pure color
what is coherence in lasers therapy?
- when all peaks and troughs of the laser therapy waves are in phase and unidirectional etc
what is collimation?
when a laser beam maintains a small spot size over a long distance
-highly parallel beam
what are the physiological effects of LASER?
-improves mitochondria function and increase ATP
-stimulates collagen production
-modulates inflammation - decreases TNF (tumour necrosis factor)
-activation and proliferation of fibroblasts
-inhibits bacterial growth
-promotes vasodilation and angiogenesis
what is the arndt schultz law?
a law that states that biological systems ie humans respond differently based on the intensity of the stimulus they receive
-ie weaker stimuli are more beneficial and stronger stimuli my have an inhibitory effect
what are the clinical applications of laser therapy (ie what situations can it be used for)?
-wound healing
-STI healing
-inflammatory joint conditions
-trigger points
-delayed onset muscle soreness
how does laser therapy treat wounds?
-2 methods - contact method and non contact method
1. contact (not open wound) - applying firm pressure, put laser device on treated area to minimise the loss of energy from the beam of laser
2. non contact (open wounds) - put laser close to surface or put cling film over wound
what kind of soft tissue injuries can laser therapy be used for?
-injured ligaments
-injured tendons or tendon pain
-haematoma etc
what wavelength of laser therapy can penetrate 1-4mm of human tissue?
600-1300nm
what is power and what are the units?
the rate at which energy is absorbed
-units are watts / milliwatts
what are the parameters of laser therapy?
-wavelength
-power (watts)
-energy (joules)
-frequency (pulse repetition rate)
what is energy measured in?
Joules - specified per point receiving laser radiation
what is frequency (pulse repetition rate) units?
-hertz / pulses per second
what are the principles of application of laser therapy?
-intro / explanation of procedure
-instructions and warnings
-examination of skin
-explain the need to wear goggles - both patient and operator
-sensation testing not required
-key/code activates the machine
-set parameters
-place probe on the area to be treated before you activate laser beam
-apply treatment as directed
-switch off device before removing goggles
-record treatment - JPP time, number of points, location of points)
what does JPP stand for?
Joules per point - ie the amount of energy delivered to one point on the body during laser therapy
what are the contraindications of laser therapy?
-direct irradiation of the eyes
-pregnant uterus
-carcinoma
-over active bleeding area
-over vagus nerve, cardiac region etc
-over gonads (pubic area)
what are the precautions of laser therapy?
-infection
-over anterior neck (due to carotid sinus)
-low back during pregnancy
-recent steroid injection (ie last week)
-anticoagulants
-anti-inflammatory meds
-eplilepsy (esp uncontrolled)
-epiphyseal plates in children
